Systems and methods for automatically forwarding electronic mail when the recipient is otherwise unknown

• US 6,427,164 B1
• Filed: 06/23/1999
• Issued: 07/30/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hanger Solutions, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Mail Registry Inc.
• Inventors: Reilly, Robert H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Krisna
• Application Number:
  US09/338,834
• Time in Patent Office: 1,133 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/207, 709/203
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases

Abstract

Systems and methods for automatically determining if the recipient of electronic mail that is unknown at the receiving server has left a “forwarding address” with a forwarding address server, thereby allowing either the receiving server, the sending server, or the sending user (computer system), or any other party to the communication, to automatically send the electronic mail content to the correct new address. In addition to this automatic “forwarding”, the sending user is notified as to the new electronic mail address so as to allow the sending user to update manually, or automatically, the user'"'"'s individual database of electronic mail addresses.

Claims

1. A method of automatically resending an electronic message originally sent to a receiving user at a first address that is now invalid to a second address for the receiving user, wherein the second address has been registered with a forwarding address server, the method comprising the steps of:

sending an electronic message from a first electronic mail domain to the first address at a second electronic mail domain;

determining in the second domain that the first address is no longer valid;

automatically sending a query from the second domain to the forwarding address server to determine a new address associated with the first address, and wherein the forwarding address server stores the first address in association with the second address;

returning the second address to the second domain; and

thereafter

automatically sending the electronic message to the second address.

2. The method of claim 1, the method further including the step of:

creating the electronic message by a sending user using an electronic mail program having an address book, the address book including the first address for the receiving user; and

automatically sending a message to the sending user, the message including the second address for the receiving user, so that the sending user is able to manually update the address book with the second address.

3. The method of claim 1, the method further including the step of:

creating the electronic message on a computer system using an electronic mail program having an address book, the address book including the first address for the receiving user;

automatically sending the second address for the receiving user to the computer system; and

automatically updating the address book with the second address.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the forwarding address server is located in a third domain.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second domain includes an e-mail server, and wherein the e-mail server performs the step of automatically sending the electronic message to the second address.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first domain includes a first e-mail server, wherein the second domain includes a second e-mail server, the method further including the step of:

sending a message from the second e-mail server to the first e-mail server, the message including the second address, wherein the first e-mail server thereafter performs the step of automatically sending the electronic message to the second address.

7. A method of automatically resending an electronic message originally sent to a user at a first address that is now invalid to a second address for the user, wherein the second address has been registered with a forwarding address server, the method comprising the steps of:

sending an electronic message from a first electronic mail domain to the first address at a second electronic mail domain;

returning a message to the first domain indicating that the first address is no longer valid;

automatically sending a query from the first domain to the forwarding address server to determine a new address associated with the first address, and wherein the forwarding address server stores the first address in association with the second address;

returning the second address to the first domain; and

thereafter

automatically sending the electronic message to the second address.

8. The method of claim 7, the method further including the step of:

creating the electronic message by a sending user using an electronic mail program having an address book, the address book including the first address for the receiving user; and

automatically sending a message to the sending user, the message including the second address for the receiving user, so that the sending user is able to manually update the address book with the second address.

9. The method of claim 7, the method further including the step of:

creating the electronic message on a computer system using an electronic mail program having an address book, the address book including the first address for the receiving user;

automatically sending the second address for the receiving user to the computer system; and

automatically updating the address book with the second address.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the forwarding address server is located in a third domain.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the first domain includes an e-mail server, and wherein the e-mail server performs the step of automatically sending the electronic message to the second address.

12. A method of automatically resending an electronic message originally sent to a receiving user at a destination address that is now invalid to a new address for the receiving user, wherein the new address has been registered with an address server, the method comprising the steps of:

a) creating an electronic message on a computer system, the electronic message having a first destination address;

b) sending the electronic message to a first server;

c) sending the electronic message from the first server to a second server associated with the destination address;

d) determining in the second server that the destination address is not valid; and

thereafter

e) automatically sending a query to the address server to determine a new address associated with the destination address, wherein the address server stores the destination address in association with the new address;

f) returning the new address; and

thereafter

g) automatically sending the electronic message to the new address.

13. The method of claim 12, further including the step of sending a first message from the second server to the first server indicating that the destination address is not valid.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first server performs steps e) and g).

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the first server forwards the first message to the computer system.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the second server performs steps e) and g).

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of creating the electronic message includes using a mail program on the computer system, the mail program having an address book including the destination address for the receiving user, the method further including the step of sending the new address for the receiving user to the computer system.

18. The method of claim 17, further including the step of automatically updating the address book with the new address for the receiving user.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the address server is located in a first domain different from said first and second servers.

20. An address server having an address database for storing old e-mail addresses in association with new e-mail addresses for registered users, wherein when the address server receives a query from an e-mail server requesting a new e-mail address associated with an old e-mail address for a first user, if the first user is registered with the address server, the server searches the database for the old address and returns the new address for the first user to the e-mail server.

21. An e-mail server for receiving and sending electronic messages, wherein the e-mail server is configured to automatically send a request to an address server, which stores old e-mail addresses in association with new e-mail addresses for registered users, when the e-mail server receives a first electronic message from a first computer for a destination address that is no longer valid, and wherein the request requests a new address associated with the destination address.